IT IS SATURDAY MIDNIGHT, AND A LATE SUMMER STORM IS BREWING OUTSIDE.
YOU HAVE BEEN STUDYING LATE, TRYING IN VAIN TO AVERT A THESIS CRISIS — IN LAST MONTH’S ISSUE OF THE RAT RUNNER’S JOURNAL (A PUBLICATION DEVOTED TO YOUR FELLOW INVESTIGATORS OF LEARNING PROCESSES), AN ACADEMIC RIVAL OF YOURS HAS JUST PUBLISHED THE RESULTS YOU’VE SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS OF GRADUATE STUDY STRIVING TO COMPLETE.
I’m not sure why this game slipped by me before in my 1981 sequence. It is possible I saw the title screen and skipped on by immediately.
From this screen and the generic titling I might have discarded it as one of the many “generate a maze, now get out in first person” games that’s popped up since the 1970s, like Escape, which inspired Richard Garriot to make his first-person dungeon view in Akalabeth leading to the Ultima games.
1982’s Wayout (by Sirius, of Kabul Spy, etc.) has similar map generation but allows full 360 degree movement.
From Mobygames. I think you’re supposed to be the clown.
However, The Maze is another game along the lines of Deathmaze 5000 or Asylum, with objects and puzzles scattered throughout and plot designed in a way that places it firmly in the rare “adventure blobber” camp.
YOU BEGIN TO DRIFT OFF INTO A FITFUL DOZE, DREAMING OF RATS CAUGHT IN MAZES, WHEN SUDDENLY THE TELEPHONE STARTLES YOU FULLY AWAKE.
I know nothing about Fermented Software, the only credits given on the title screen. This particular disk landed on the Internet in 2006 when someone on Usenet named “Astrp3” listed The Maze amongst disks that were being uploaded to Asimov (a still-extant Apple II archive). There’s otherwise no information, and “Fermented Software” doesn’t ring up any hits in the usual places.
The game requires 64K (not the default) so the author(s) were using a relatively beefy computer, and Deathmaze 5000 did have an Apple II version so it is possible it was an influence. The reference to a thesis crisis suggests an academic (it’d be an odd plot for someone outside of that particular “rat race” to make up). Perhaps more will be revealed as we get in deeper.
WITH YOUR HEART POUNDING, YOU PICK UP THE RECEIVER ANO HEAR THE VOICE OF DR. LA BRYNTHE, THE NOTED PSYCHOLOGIST AND YOUR THESIS ADVISOR, ON THE OTHER END: ‘JASON, I’M AT MY LABORATORY, AND I THINK I’VE FOUND A WAY YOU CAN USE THE RESULTS FROM YOUR MAZE STUDIES TO COMPLETE YOUR THESIS AND RECEIVE YOUR DEGREE. NOW LISTEN CAREFULLY AND I’LL GIVE YOU THE…
WHO’S THERE??…
WHAT’S GOING ON… HELP! HELP!SUDDENLY, THE LINE GOES DEAD…
You grab a raincoat and head to the laboratory, musing about the Professor’s “classified experiments” and “experiments on animals” that were rumored to be done on humans. Ominous!
The opening mat seen above can be taken; this reveals a key, which can also be taken, giving the first two items of the game.
Movement is not by arrow keys; you can type “R” and “L” to turn right and left respectively, or “F” to go forward. Just “A” flips 180 degrees but I don’t think there’s any way to walk backwards.
Only any “close” walls are shaded, any farther away get the outlined black and white treatment.
It is much more dense than Asylum, and I suspect the map is smaller overall. Here’s what I have so far.
Starting with the “trap” in the lower left corner, that’s a giant mousetrap with some cheese. Any attempt to take the cheese are step forward kills you, although you restart at the beginning with the feeling like you’ve been “drugged”.
I tried throwing the mat to trigger the trap but no luck; picking up the mat afterwards causes the same effect.
Rotating around the spaces on the map, there’s a violin case that’s locked. The key fortunately works (although it gets stuck), and inside there is a violin. The game says you can’t play it yet if you try (I suspect you need a bow).
Further along the same path you can scoop up a TUNING FORK…
…a CORKSCREW…
…and a ????.
The question marks are here because while OPEN BOX works to get a thing out of it…
…I have no idea what the thing is or how to pick it up. I have tried various permutations of LOOK and have no textual description of what’s nearby. Any guesses?
It may help to know whatever it is will possibly resolve the one other obstacle (other than the trap) I need to deal with, a “BEAST”.
I haven’t made a verb list yet, but the cryptic object flummoxed me enough — and since it is the sort of thing I can crowdsource to you, my dear readers, I decided it was time to stop for a post. I will do verb testing next time (and knowing the verbs might help figure out what some of the pictures are, if there really is no “describe all the stuff near you in text” command).
Renga in Blue 
Is… is it a bonsai tree?
A bonsai tree in a planter shaped like Massachusetts.
It looks kind of like a smashed guitar, with the neck separated from the body, still hanging by the strings. Think of the scene in Animal House where Bluto violently smashes the crooning folk singer’s guitar at the toga party and then calmy hands the remains back to him. “Sorry…”
I believe the game understands BOX the same as CASE, so “open box” equals “open case” (the violin case) and somehow when you open the case you also drop the violin (even when the case is empty). Like Rob said, it looks like a broken instrument. The square box on the floor has nothing to do with it (and also, looking back at my notes, I think I had to search the code to know what it was.)
knowing it’s the “box” thing I decided to open it up to non-readers with a Bluesky post, let’s see if anyone can work it out
In 1981 graphical adventure games were still was a new thing, so I guess authors were trying to come up with different styles of puzzles. This is supposed to be a visual “guess-the-object” kind of thing, the triangle on it being the hint. Like a famous brand of crackers with a red triangular logo in the corner, maybe? But it’s so very subtle it’s annoying.
Aha! Yes, that’s the Nabisco logo. Though it could also be cookies, harrumph.
CRACKERS. The box thing is CRACKERS (see Bluesky)
people on Mastodon also made gallant attempts
will try to get post up today but it might be this weekend.
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